Freshmen Football Summer Training - Developmental

This is Week 1 of the Freshmen Program. Lots of teaching and very little work getting done as far as lifting goes. Monday

• Broad Jump (Teach)
• Hang Clean (Teach): 5x3 (95-135)
• Squat (Teach): 5x5 (135-225)
• RDL: 5x5 (135)
• Pull-ups: 5x5
• Push-ups: 5x5-10

Wednesday

• MB Throws
• Push Press (Teach): 5x3
• Bench (Teach): 5x5
• DB Squat: 5x5
• DB Row: 5x5
• Single-leg Hip Ext: 5x5 each

Friday

• Broad Jump
• Hang Snatch (Teach): 5x3 (95-135)
• Trap Bar (Teach): 5x5 (135-225)
• Trap Bar RDL: 5x5 (135)
• Pull-ups: 5x5
• Dips/Push-ups: 5x5-10

I give weights for the lifts I'm worried about. Reps are low because none of these kids have trained. However, I do not give weights for Bench and for good reason. No one will push the Squat or Trap Bar to the point of failure. Everyone will fail on the Bench because they think they can bench more than they can. The rule I give them is DNFF (Do Not F#$%ing Fail). When someone does fail and I catch them I stop the workout and tell them to strip the bars and move on to the next exercise. Only once, in my 3 years with a football program have I had to take away their privilege to Bench (that was for 3 months). If I just tell them or yell at them they never listen. So, I have gone to telling them once and then taking away the lift for that day. Three strikes and they'll Press overhead for the rest of the year. I need much longer than 4 weeks to get them a base, but 4 weeks is all I have. Week 2-4 Monday

• Broad Jump
• Hang Clean: 5x3 (95-135)
• Hurdle-over/under: 2x5 each
• Squat: 5x5
• DB Incline: 5x10
• Pull-ups: 5x5-10
• RDL: 3x10
• DB Row: 3x10
• Push-ups: 5x5-10

Wednesday

• MB Throws
• Push Press: 5x3
• Hurdle-over/under: 2x5 each
• Bench: 5x5 DNFF!
• DB Squat: 5x10
• DB RDL w/shrug: 5x10
• DB Row: 3x10
• Lateral Squat (mobility): 3x5 each
• Single-leg Hip Ext: 3x10 each

Friday Broad Jump

• Hang Snatch: 5x3 (95-135)
• Hurdle-over/under: 2x5 each
• Trap Bar: 5x5
• Pull-ups: 5x5-10
• DB Press: 5x10
• Trap Bar RDL: 3x10
• Hammer Circuit: 4x10
• Push-ups/Dips: 5x5-10

This will take them through our 4 week program before camp. Once camp starts they will do a modified version of this. Once the season starts the freshmen (most of them) who redshirt will do the next phase of this program. We will have estimated maxes for them to work off of. I haven't yet decided if they do 2 off-season workouts and 2 in-season workouts during the season. I only have 45 minute time slots for them on Tuesday and Thursday as opposed to 60 minutes on Friday and Sunday. I'm thinking about keep the 60 minute workouts to all of the main work and the 45 minute workouts to all of the assistance work. I'll hash this out and have a plan by the middle of August. Hope this gives some ideas how to introduce weight training to freshmen. It seems very basic because I always assume they know nothing. I don't trust high school strength/football coaches to teach kids anything.